Bound Hearts: My Vows to My Disabled Spouse

Where Is Your Wheelchair

After heading to the study, Jayden didn't come back to the bedroom.

Unable to sleep, Elyse fidgeted in bed before finally rising and making her way to the living room sofa to wait for him.

Sleep eventually claimed her, but a sudden tilt of her head jolted her awake. Groggy, she grabbed her phone to check the time and saw it was already past 2 A.M.

She glanced toward the study, still illuminated, and pondered the length of time Jayden had been secluded there.

With a mix of confusion and concern, she got up, knocked on the study door, and got no reply. Thinking Jayden might have dozed off inside, she opened the door, only to find the room empty. "Could he have gone back to our bedroom while I was asleep?" she whispered to herself.

She bypassed the wheelchair next to the desk and climbed the stairs back to the bedroom, only to find it empty as well.

"How odd. Where could he be?" Elyse mused, remembering the day's earlier tensions and

speculating that Jayden might be sulking somewhere around the house.

She wrapped herself in her shawl and started searching the vast, cold villa. The silent, sprawling

house seemed more imposing by night, especially with the servants confined to their quarters.

As she ventured into a seldom-visited part of the house, her anxiety heightened. For the first time,

the villa's grandeur felt unsettling, as if an intruder might appear from a shadowy corner at any

moment.

Elyse was on edge as she heard the footsteps drawing nearer. It was late, and she wondered who else would be wandering through the < house at this hour

Glancing down at her fluffy slippers, she quickly slipped them off, stepped barefoot onto the cool floor, and found a place to hide.

In the darkness, she held her breath.

When the figure appeared, she was taken aback-it was Peyton. She almost called out to him but stopped herself when she noticed he was carrying a leather suitcase. Tonight, he seemed like a stranger to her.

Unaware of her presence, Peyton continued toward the basement. Elyse paused for a few seconds, then decided to follow, driven by a gut feeling that Jayden might be down there. Although she had never explored this part of the house before, she knew about the basement. Driscoll had mentioned it was filled with Jayden's wine collection, but she had never had anProperty © of NôvelDrama.Org.

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Stepping into the basement, Elyse was struck by its well-appointed decor and the eerie silence, amplified by the carpet that muffled all footsteps. She put her slippers back on and began to wander through the basement. As she reached the innermost part, she noticed a room with a light on and heard voices.

She listened intently and, recognizing Jayden's voice, straightened up and marched toward the room, anger rising within her. He was secretly drinking wine in the basement, wasn't he?

"Elyse?"

"Aaah!" Elyse jumped as someone patted her shoulder. Clutching her heart, she spun around in a panic, only to see a strange man smiling at her.

Fear gripped her, and her legs gave out, sending her collapsing to the floor.

Clive, noticing her distress, glanced up and winked at Peyton, who had poked his head out of the

room upon hearing the commotion. Clive then bent over and offered his hand to Elyse, saying, "Sorry, Elyse. I didn't mean to startle you."

Still shaken, Elyse didn't take his hand and asked tensely, "Who are you? I don't know you. Why are you in my house?"

"I'm Clive Yates. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself.

"Are you Jayden's friend? Why are you here so late at night?" Elyse asked, her realization dawning

as she spoke. With a scowl, she turned and marched toward the brightly lit room.

"Jayden!" she called out as she pushed the door open and found Jayden lounging on a sofa, casually smoking a cigarette. He looked up at her with a piercing gaze.

Jayden flicked the ash off his cigarette and smiled. "Why did you wake up? Can't you sleep without me nearby?"

His words stunned Peyton so much that he almost gaped in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Elyse's cheeks flushed. "You- Stop talking nonsense. I did fall asleep earlier," she retorted, then paused, a new confusion settling in. "Where is your wheelchair?" She scanned the room but didn't see his wheelchair anywhere, wondering how he had managed to get to the sofa. Peyton was also caught off guard by her question. They were all so accustomed to the setup that they hadn't anticipated Elyse discovering this room without preparing the wheelchair. The wheelchair was still in the study.